Automatic felt-tightener for paper-making machines.



F. B. HOOKER & W. J. TREMPE. AU I'OMATIG FELT TIGHTENER FOR PAPER MAKING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED 110V. 8, 1911.

1,069,257, v Patented Aug. 5, 1913.

ATTORNEYS FRANK: B-

AND 0F ST Jongnsnumr, vnmviolvr.

AUTOMATIC FELT-TIGHTENER FOB EAPER-MAKING MACHINES.

Specification of Letters ltatent.

Patented Aug. 5,1913.

Applieation filed November 8, 1311-. Serial No. 653,131.

To all whom it may, concern Be it known that we, FRANK B. Hoonnn and WVIL IAM J. TREMEE, citizens of the United States, and residents of St. Johns; bury, in the county of Caledonia and Sta of Vermont, have made certain new and use ful Improvements in Automatic F (alt-Tighteners for Paper Making Machines, of which the following is a specification.

@iu' invention relates to improvements in automatic felt tighteners for paper making machines, and it consists in the constructions, combinations, and arrangements herein described and claimed.

An object of our invention is to provide an improved device over that disclosed in the patent to William J. Trempe #934,857 of September 1, 1909. The said improvements consist in certain changes in the mechanism which renders the device less liable to bind.

A further object of our invention is to provide a device using less tension weights than the older form, and one which is more durable.

A further object of our invention is to provide a device to take the place of the rack and gear mechanism of the older device which we found to clog up with dirt and oil, thereby necessitating frequent cleaning, and being hard to operate.

Other objects and advantages will appear in the following specification and the novel features of the invention will be particularly pointed out in the appened claims.

Our invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings forming part of this application in which similar reference characters indicate like parts in the several views, and in which- Figure l is aside view of the device, Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof, and Fig. 3 is a section along the line 33 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Referring now to Figs. 1 and 2, the lower plates of a paper making machine are shown at 1. Upon these plates we arrange brackets 2, each carrying an upper guide rail 3 and a lower guide rail 4, as shown in Fig. 3. Arranged to run between the upper and lower guide rails 3 and 4 is a rectangular frame 5 of the shape shown in Figs; 1 and 2 bearing a pair of flange wheels 6 and 7. The flanges of these wheels are arranged to engage the upper and lower rails as shown in Fig. 3. There are two of these frames,

one on each side of: the. machine. The felt roller 8 is carried between the opposed frames 5, being journaled in these frames in any suitable manner, ball or roller bearings being preferably used. At one end of the frame 1 are the uprights 9, which support a common shaft 10. for a pair of; sprocket wheels l-1.- These sprockets have individual chains 12 which are attached to. their. respec' tive, frame members 5 on opposite sides of the. machine by means of adjusting screw bolts 13; The. chains 12 extend around their Sprockets, thence forwardly and around idlers 14: on the opposite, end of the, machine, and are attachedto the opposite ends of the frames 5 by similar adjusting screws l5. The cables. 17 which are, attached to the ends of the frame members 5 are designed to also be Lieder he teasiee of ht l From the foregoing description of the various parts of the device the operation thereof will be readily understood.

The felt 19 is passed around the roller 8, and it is the purpose of the invention to keep this felt always taut. As the felt is stretched the slack is taken up by the weight 18, both ends of the roller 8 moving to the same extent on account of the sprocket and chain construction. The mounting of the roller 8 on ball bearings also serves to permit the easy running of the roller. If either of the chains become loose, the tension may be adjusted by turning the adjusting screws 13 or 15 at either end of the frames. Moreover the position of the chains with respect to the sprocket may be adjusted with or without varying the tension. Thus if the adjusting member 13 is loosened and the adjusting member 15 is tightened to the same extent the position of the sprocket chain with respect to the teeth of the sprocket wheel may be changed without varying the tension. Thus the position of one movable frame with respect to the other may be shifted so as to bring said frames exactly into alinement.

We claim:

1. The combination with the frame member of a paper making machine, of an upper and lower guide rail secured thereto on each side thereof, a pair of frames mounted for movement along said guide rails, a transverse felt roller carried by said movable frames and arranged to receive the felt, means for moving both frames simultaneously and to the same extent along said rails to take up the slack in the felt, said means comprising Weights attached to said frames, a sprocket chain, idlers for said sprocket chains disposed on one end of the paper machine frame, a sprocket wheel for each chain carried by the paper machine frame at the other end thereof, said sprocket wheels having a common shaft, each of said sprocket chains being attached to its inclividual movable frame at each end of the latter, and means for adjusting the position and tension of each of the sprocket chains independently.

In an automatic felt tightener for paper making machines, a pair of upper and lower guide rails, a movable frame disposed betWe-en each of said guide rails, a pair of flanged Wheels carried by each of said frames and arranged to engage one of said upper and said lower guide rails, a pair of sprocket chains, adjusting members for securing said sprocket chains to the ends of said movable frames, a roller ournaled at its ends in said movable frames, a pair of sprocket Wheels, a common shaft for said sprocket Wheels, each of said sprocket Wheels connected to each of said frames for eXert- 30 ing a constant tension on the latter.

8. In an automatic felt tightener for paper making machines, an upper and a lower guide rail on each side of the machine, a

movable frame disposed between the upper 35 and lower guide rails on one side, a second movable frame disposed between the lower and upper guide rails on the other side, a pair of flanged Wheels carried by each of said frames and arranged to engage its re- 40 spective upper and lower guide rails and a roller journaled at its ends in said movable frames, means secured to each frame for exerting a constant tension thereon, and means for independently adjusting the position of 45 each of said movable frames,

FRANK B. HOOKER. WILLIAM J. TREMPE.

lVitnesses A. B. No es, F. B. HOOKER.

Copies 01" this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

